Gove County was created on March 11, 1868 (Organized in 1886) from Unorganized Territory. The County Seat is Gove. The County was named for Capt. Grenville L. Gove of Co. G, Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, who died 7 Nov 1864.
PLEASE READ FIRST!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link, by contacting the Phone number below for each department or contacting the County Courthouse at 520 Washington, Gove, KS 67736-0128; Phone: (785) 938-2300.NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Gove County Clerks Officehas Birth Records from 1892-1911, Marriage Records from 1886 and Death Records from 1892-1911.
The Register of Deeds shall have custody of and safely keep and preserve all the books, records, deeds, maps, papers and microphotographs deposited or kept in the office of the Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds shall also record or cause to be recorded all deeds, mortgages, maps, instruments and writings authorized by law to be recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds and shall perform all other duties as are required by law.
Gove County Register of Deeds Officehas Land Records from 1886. Phone 785-938-4465
The Register of Deeds shall have custody of and safely keep and preserve all the books, records, deeds, maps, papers and microphotographs deposited or kept in the office of the Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds shall also record or cause to be recorded all deeds, mortgages, maps, instruments and writings authorized by law to be recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds and shall perform all other duties as are required by law.
Gove County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1886 and Court Records from 1887. The Clerk of Court is part of the Judicial Branch of local government and as such is required to maintain a record of all documents filed with the courts, keep a record of all court proceedings, and collect various fines and forfeitures ordered by the court and specified by statute.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Kansas Election List, 1854: Listing of voters from Kansas in 1854 taken from Congressional report in 1856
For the most part, tax records remain at the local level. Assessment and tax rolls are kept, permanently, by the County Treasurer's office.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Gove County Treasurers Office
The County Treasurer's Office by Kansas State law is responsible for the tax billing, collection and distribution of tax money for the State, County, Cities and all other taxing entities that levy Ad Valorem and/or special assessment taxes.
Click Here to Search Kansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 S W Jackson, Suite 110, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-1400 Info; (785) 296-3253.
All Fees below cover a five-year record search – one certified copy is issued if the record is found and if not found, the fee is retained. You will receive either the certified copy or a letter explaining the search conducted and that no record was located. All Request Filled requests take 2-4 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death) or 2-5 Days when you order ONLINE.
They have the following records:
Birth Certificates: In Kansas, Birth certificates began being filed with the Office July 1, 1911. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds birth records before July 1, 1911.
Cost: $12.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $7 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
Delayed Certificates of Birth: are on file with dates of birth dating back to the 1860's. In 1940, statutory authority was received by the Office which allowed individuals still alive in 1940 and later with no prior birth record filed to submit certain documentation to file a Delayed Certificate of Birth. A request for a Delayed Certificate of Birth is made in the same manner as one for a regular birth certificate – just specify the date of birth. If the date specified is between the late 1860's and July 1, 1911, a Delayed Certificate of Birth search will be conducted.
Death Certificates: In Kansas, Death certificates began being filed with the Office July 1, 1911. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds death records before July 1, 1911.
Cost: $13.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $8 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
Marriage Certificates: In Kansas, Death certificates began being filed with the Office May 1, 1913. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds marriage records before May 1, 1913.
Cost: $12.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $7 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
Divorces: Divorce Certificates began being filed with this office July 1, 1951. The divorce decree is not filed with this office. The decree is the court document detailing the settlement of the divorce. The divorce certificate is completed by the plaintiff's attorney and contains only basic information – names of husband and wife, date of marriage, date of divorce, etc. Certified copies of divorce decrees are obtained from the Clerk of the District Court in the county where the divorce was filed.
Cost: $12.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the divorce certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $7.00 each.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
Order In Person: Go to Curtis State Office Bldg., 1000 SW Jackson, Ste. 120, Topeka, KS 66612. Open 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays.Payment made by cash, check, money order, or credit card.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Kansas Census, 1850-90: This database contains indexes to the Kansas (U.S.A.) portions of the 1850-18700 U.S. Federal Censuses as well as to the 1855-1859 state and territorial census, and the 1890 Veterans Schedules. Information contained in these indexes can include name, state, county, township, year of record, and name of record set.
Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1915: This database contains state censuses for Kansas from 1855-1915. Information available in this database includes: name, age, gender, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, marital status, and place of enumeration. Additional information about an individual may be listed on the original record.
Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Kansas showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Kansas showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Kansas Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Maps. Email us with websites containing Gove County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Kansas Civil War Soldiers: Listing of over 20,000 men who served in the Union Army from Kansas, 1861-1865
Leavenworth, Kansas Veterans, 1915-16: One of the oldest and most important communities in Kansas, Leavenworth has been home to thousands of military veterans. This database is a listing of residents of the Western Branch of the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers between 1915 and 1916.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Kansas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Gove County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Kansas Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Kansas Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The earliest churches were established among the native tribes settled in Kansas long before it was organized as a territory. The Methodist, Baptist, Society of Friends, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Congregational churches all had early missions which grew as the white settlers immigrated.
There is no central registry of cemetery locations in Kansas. The Woman's Kansas Day Club has identified and located many Kansas cemeteries. The project's results are at the Kansas State Historical Society which has additional collections of published cemetery inscriptions, though not comprehensive, listed in their card catalog.
The Register of Deeds in each county is often able to assist in locating cemeteries. Certain maps distributed by the Kansas Department of Transportation show the location of known cemeteries in relation to county roads.
Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Gove County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Gove County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Gove County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Kansas Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Transcribed from Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912.
Gove County, in the western part of the state, is the third from the west line of the state, the third south from the Nebraska line and the fifth north from Oklahoma. It is bounded on the north by Thomas and Sheridan counties, on the east by Trego, on the south by Lane and Scott, and on the west by Logan county. The first settlements were made in the latter '70s. The Union Pacific railroad was built through this section of the state about that time and the first towns were established along the railroad. Buffalo Park was the first town. It was established about 1878. One of the most important early settlements was the Bristol colony, which came from Bristol, Bucks county, Pa., in 1879. Its officers were: President, M. E. West; secretary, R. Robinson; treasurer, R. Shaw. Eleven families constituted the party. They came first to Buffalo Park and after prospecting through the surrounding territory located southwest of the town. The people found native building stone to construct buildings, plenty of good grass for cattle, and water at an average depth of 50 feet. There was no timber and the government granted timber claims, whereby the claim holder was required to plant ten acres of timber. Hundreds of these timber claims were taken, resulting in the planting of thousands of acres of trees.
In 1879, the legislature erected Gove county and bounded it as follows: "Commencing at the northeast corner of township 10 range 26 west; thence west on said township line to the east line of range 30 west; thence south on said range line to the north line of township 15; thence east on said line to the west line of range 25 west; thence north on said range line to the place of beginning." The present boundaries extend to the east line of range 32, and to the south line of township 15 Gove township, as it was called at that time, was attached to Ellis county for judicial purposes. In 1881 the legislature removed it from Ellis and attached it to Trego.
The drought of 1880 was rather severe in Gove county and reduced many families to destitute circumstances. Outside aid was sent in and much suffering relieved in this way. There were several little towns in the county by this time, and two newspapers were established in this year, the Grainfield Republican and the Buffalo Park Express.
In 1886 the governor appointed L. F. Jones census taker. He made his returns in August, showing that the population was 3,032, of whom were householders, and that there were $549,909 worth of taxable property. Two petitions were sent in on the county seat matter, one asking that Grainfield be made the temporary county seat and the other asking the same thing for Gove. Delegations from each town went to Topeka to interview the governor, help count the names on the petitions, and to prefer charges of fraud against each other. Originally the petition for Gove had 612 names and that from Grainfield 336. Some of the names on the Gove petition were not on the census taker's list, which cut the Gove majority down to 71. Then it was found that some of the names on the Grainfield petition were open to the same objection, and after a thorough investigation the governor proclaimed Gove the temporary county seat. The following officers were appointed: Commissioners, Jerome B. McClanahan, William T. Stokes and Lyan Raymond; clerk, Dell A. Borah. The election was held at the time of the general election on Nov. 2, 1886, and Gove was made the permanent county seat, in spite of the offer of Grainfield to furnish the site, put up a $6,000 courthouse and buy $1,200 worth of books. The officers chosen were as follows: Clerk, Dell A. Borah; sheriff, J. W. Hopkins; probate judge, C. E. Hebard; treasurer, George S. Dyer; register of deeds, L. F. Jones; clerk of the district court, U. W. Ohlinger; superintendent of public instruction, G. G. Lehmer; attorney, R. C. Jones; surveyor, F. B. Cope; coroner, David Blackwell; commissioners, Lyman Raymond, J. W. Campbell and Gustavus Peterson.
By this time there were 8 towns in the county, and 41,590 acres of cultivated soil. The settlers had recovered from the hardships of the early beginnings and most of them were raising fair crops.
Gove county is divided into nine townships, viz: Baker, Gaeland, Gove, Grainfield, Grinnell, Larrabee, Lewis and Payne. The postoffices in the county are, Gove, Alanthus, Ball, Campus, Catalpa, Coin, Grainfield, Grinnell, Hackberry, Jericho, Jerome, Orion, Park, Quinter, Tweed and Valhalla. The surface is undulating with bluffs and rough lands along the streams. Bottom lands average one-half mile in width. The largest stream is the Smoky Hill river which flows from west to east through the southern part. Two branches of Hackberry creek enter in the northwest and join two other creeks near the center of the county, forming the larger Hackberry creek which continues in a southeasterly direction, joining the Smoky Hill in Trego county. Gypsum, limestone and mineral paint are found in considerable quantities.
Winter wheat, corn, barley and sorghum are the principal field crops. Live-stock raising is profitable. The value of the farm products in 1910 was $1,194,476, of which field crops amounted to over $1,000,000, live stock, poultry, eggs and dairy products making up the balance. The population of the county in 1910 was 6,044, which was nearly three times that of 1900. The assessed valuation of property was $10,373,486. The school population is 1,437, and there are 46 organized school districts.
The following companies are currently offering free trials on their subscriptions from 7 to 14 days. You can receive more information by clicking the links below:
l